Steve Wozniak: 'Apple is losing its cool, but I'd welcome an iWatch'

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has said that Apple is losing its cool, but that he would welcome an iWatch with improved Siri.

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Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has said that Apple is losing its cool, but that he would welcome an iWatch with improved Siri.

In an interview with Bloomberg this week, Wozniak said that he believes companies such as Amazon and Google: "All have great ideas, but sometimes you need a critical mass of loyal users that will instantly buy and go this direction. Apple is really good at setting a standard with a new device. Apple still has its halo in that regard."

With Apple's shares dropping 34 per cent since September, Wozniak says the company's CEO, Tim Cook, is under pressure to launch revolutionary new products to boost profit.

Woz suggests that Apple should consider opening up its ecosystem, a move that could involve allowing Windows Phone or Android owners to use iTunes on their device. Apple is having to reply more on its appeal as a premium brand as rivals catch up in terms of features on their devices.

"We used to have these ads, I'm a Mac and I'm a PC, and the Mac was always the cool guy," said Wozniak. "And ouch, it's painful, because we kind of are losing that."

Due to its presence in more markets than Apple, Wozniak expects Microsoft's Windows Phone platform to gain "enough critical mass to keep going with their tablets and phones."

BlackBerry, however, will be forced to switch to Android's operating system for its hardware, he said, noting that the company has a "good reputation as a hardware builder."

During the interview, Wozniak also touched on the subject of an Apple smart watch, dubbed iWatch, which has been hot topic among Apple fans following a report that the company has a team of 100 people working on the device.